Papers by Peggy Kay
Psychosynthesis Quarterly - January, 2025
This article is a theoretical study with diagram renderings to explain and demonstrate how the th... more This article is a theoretical study with diagram renderings to explain and demonstrate how the theories work. The theories and diagrams explain the relationship of spirituality and religion, illustrate the relationship of the soul to the entire personal psyche, demonstrate the structure and process of the soul, and illustrate the structure
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 2022
9 chology of religion, as a psychologist who exam-10 ines spiritual and religious contents of the... more 9 chology of religion, as a psychologist who exam-10 ines spiritual and religious contents of the psyche. 11 He has asserted his theory of individuation as the 12 psychological and experiential framework for 13 spiritual transformation, as the psychological life 14 cycle of spiritual individuation, transformation, 15 and maturation. Jung shows psychologically 16 how people transform spiritually. Healing, for 17 Jung, is psychological wholeness, and in his the-18 ory of individuation, he examines the spiritual 19 aspect of psychological wholeness. 20 Jung's theory of the individuation process of 21 spiritual transformation is systematic and phe-22 nomenological and occurs across the entire life 23 cycle. Jungpsychiatrist and psychologistwas 24 theoretically systematic and scrutinized experi-25 ence in light of theory and theory in light of 26 experience. He looked for psychological pro-27 cesses of transformation, whatever the contents 28 being processed, and he fit experience and con-29 tents into his psychological theory. Throughout 30 his career, however, he returned to spiritual and 31
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 2022
Interdisciplinarity compares, contrasts, puts into dialog, and potentially combines multiple acad... more Interdisciplinarity compares, contrasts, puts into dialog, and potentially combines multiple academic disciplines for a more holistic field of study. It is the formulation of a new, interdisciplinary field of study in order to consider each discipline in a larger and interrelated context. The need for the larger context is often created by a purpose or theory or problem that needs a larger solution than would come from within one discipline or one profession. In this Encyclopedia, we consider the dialog between the discipline of Psychology, a Social Science, and Religion, from the Humanities. Ethics can also be involved, as well as Philosophy and Theology. We examine how each discipline influences, contrasts, compares, and integrates with the other to address the larger concern for understanding human experience, history, tradition, and life in the intersection of the two or more disciplines. Another example would be Medicine, Biology, Anthropology, and Sociology working together to resolve cross-cultural medical and social issues. The need for interdisciplinarity often arises from greater complexity characterizing research and teaching. When multiple disciplines are used, in this way they are called interdisciplinary.
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion , 2022
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 2022
The Holy Spirit is a scriptural spiritual tradition, 9 which has evolved into a doctrine, in the ... more The Holy Spirit is a scriptural spiritual tradition, 9 which has evolved into a doctrine, in the Christian 10 tradition. It is present throughout the Christian 11 Scriptures and has arisen and evolved from "the 12 Spirit," "Spirit of the LORD," or "Spirit of God" 13 in the Hebrew Scriptures. Michael Ramsay (1977, 14 pp. 14-15) summarizes this evolution.
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 2022
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 2022
Conference Presentations by Peggy Kay
Spirituality should be established within the field of psychology at the core of the individual l... more Spirituality should be established within the field of psychology at the core of the individual life and human process, so at the core of the therapeutic process. The relationship of psychology and religion has been established in the psychology of religion, and has been given some consideration in pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, and transpersonal psychology. This article describes the relationship of spirituality and religion within psychology. It establishes depth psychology as fundamental, in addition to personality psychology and in relation to it, to understanding the spiritual “inner landscape” of the person. Together these two subfields can best observe and assess the outer landscape of personality and the inner landscape of the psyche – of consciousness. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize and understand the psychological landscape of religion and spirituality as an axis connecting inner personal experience with manifestation of the personality in the outer world. This way we will insure that we have examined our research question or problem in the fullest context of psychospiritual experience of the person and the person in society.
Key Words: consciousness, depth psychology, self-report, soul, spirituality, transpersonal psychology
Research is a process. From this process we aim to obtain reliable results to inform our purposes... more Research is a process. From this process we aim to obtain reliable results to inform our purposes. The reliability of research results is a function of how well the research process is formulated. It is a step-by-step process, which begins with theory construction and ends in analysis of results. Well-formulated research is important to researchers running a project, and it is important to examine at the same time we examine a project that has been run.
Research as a process can be considered to be a cycle. The loop of the cycle is closed by the use of its results to evolve the original theory, to generate further research, or to inform praxis. The function of the research cycle is evolution of knowledge and practical application. The effectiveness of the research cycle is dependent on the adept formulation of the research project. The more accurate the formulation of the cycle the more accurate and reliable the results will be. With reliable results we can then move forward with confidence to employ those results and complete the evolutionary cycle.
It is because we need the most reliable results that it is crucial to become adept at accurate formulation of the research project. This presentation discusses these sequential elements of the research cycle and how to attain the most adept formulation at each stage:
• Problem identification
• Approach, assumptions, aims
• Theory construction
• Project strategy
• Research design including interdisciplinary considerations
• Methodology including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method considerations
• Statistics
• Analysis of results and meta-analysis
Keywords: research design, research methods, theory formulation, methodology, analysis
Teaching Documents by Peggy Kay
This course explores mysticism and the Christian religious tradition, through time and across the... more This course explores mysticism and the Christian religious tradition, through time and across the spectrum of Christianity.
The primary purpose of this course is to provide knowledge and experience of spirituality, includ... more The primary purpose of this course is to provide knowledge and experience of spirituality, including study and experience of mediation and yoga, with five foci: To understand the distinction and relationship between spirituality and religion To understand religious contents of the psyche and the function of the superconscious in the psychology of religion To know the developmental stages of the spirit and the processes of the dark night of the soul To learn what yoga is and to know the full complement of the various kinds of yoga as spiritual paths To understand meditation and to learn and experience its methods
The purpose of this course is to introduce and orient students to the world's religions, with fou... more The purpose of this course is to introduce and orient students to the world's religions, with four main goals: 1. To understand the nature of religion, religious traditions of the world including atheism and agnosticism, and to come to know these traditions respectfully, empathetically, and objectively 2. To observe religions and their cultural and historical contexts, diversities, similarities, and spiritualities 3. To think about participation in various religious worlds, doctrines, beliefs, practices, myths, ethics, spirituality, and how that compares to our own religious views and practices; to look at our own traditions as one tradition, in the same way we look at others 4. To become more fully aware of religious diversity in the world and of the need for religious respect, dialogue, relationality, and interspirituality between religions
Church Mergers, 2006
From 2004-2006 in Central Pennsylvania, I was friends with a United Church of Christ pastor, Rev.... more From 2004-2006 in Central Pennsylvania, I was friends with a United Church of Christ pastor, Rev. Nelson Wenner, and his wife Marie. I collaborated with Nelson because he wanted to write a book about church mergers. I helped him to shape and record his thoughts, which resulted in a few pages of introductory notes and a chapter structure. We submitted a proposal to Pilgrim Press in 2006, and they replied with a request for the manuscript. The proposed manuscript was never completed because Nelson died of a severe stroke before he could finish it. These are the notes, which Mrs. Wenner has agreed to publish. The words and wording are his, via my typing and formatting. I have placed a common-law 2006 copyright on this manuscript, so that if someone uses it, Rev. Wenner will be cited for it. This manuscript has been submitted to the United Church of Christ, The Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Books by Peggy Kay
Proquest (2008), 2005
Purpose:
Psychology traditionally has had great breadth and depth of therapeutic understanding... more Purpose:
Psychology traditionally has had great breadth and depth of therapeutic understandings of many dimensions of the person, including the personality, the mind, and most recently, the emotions, but it has lacked both acknowledgement and understanding of the spiritual dimension of the person. The first step toward understanding how to approach spiritual process therapeutically is to understand spiritual process itself. This dissertation seeks to understand this process of spiritual transformation in the individual person, and to formulate a psychological theory to facilitate this process. The ultimate purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches to the spiritual well being of the person.
Methodology:
The primary methodology to achieve the purpose of this dissertation is comparative study, which selects the phenomenology of spiritual transformation as described by Carl Gustav Jung in his theory of individuation and St. John of the Cross in his spiritual dark night to be the point of comparison. The texts are critically analyzed, compared, and integrated, to yield a psychological theory of spiritual transformation. Operational definitions are formulated for: “spirituality”, “spiritual”, “transformation”, “spiritual transformation”, “psychological theory”, and “psychological model”.
Survey:
Part One describes the two thinkers. Chapter One describes Jung and his theory of individuation. Chapter Two describes St. John and the nature and experience of theological and spiritual process in his Dark Night.
Part Two compares the two thinkers. In Chapter Three Jungian individuation is viewed as life cycle depth psychological framework in which spiritual transformation occurs. In Chapter Four St. John’s dark night is seen as the episodic and evolutionary place in the life cycle where spiritual transformation occurs.
Part Three integrates the two thinkers. Chapter Five proposes an integrated psychological theory of Jungian psychological individuation as framework for St. John's spiritual theological processes. The Afterword includes implications, conclusions, and speculations, as well as possibilities for future work that can yield findings significant to development of the fields of psychology, theology, and religion, for the individual person, and for collective humanity.
Proquest (2015), 1998
This thesis states that the soul must be considered at the core of the psychotherapeutic process.... more This thesis states that the soul must be considered at the core of the psychotherapeutic process. It is a theoretical study, part historical review and part theoretical construction, rather than methodological investigation. The terms healing, religiosity, soul, and spirituality are operationally defined.
Chapter One discusses the placement of the soul at the core of individual existence.
Chapter Two is historical review of how the soul has been regarded through the first three “forces” of psychology: psychoanalysis, behaviorist / cognitive, and existential / humanistic.
Chapter Three focuses on the fourth force, transpersonal psychology.
Chapter Four diagrams my theory of the structure and process of consciousness, and the soul and its relationality with God.
Chapter Five concludes with implications for transpersonal psychotherapy centered in the soul.
Uploads
Papers by Peggy Kay
Conference Presentations by Peggy Kay
Key Words: consciousness, depth psychology, self-report, soul, spirituality, transpersonal psychology
Research as a process can be considered to be a cycle. The loop of the cycle is closed by the use of its results to evolve the original theory, to generate further research, or to inform praxis. The function of the research cycle is evolution of knowledge and practical application. The effectiveness of the research cycle is dependent on the adept formulation of the research project. The more accurate the formulation of the cycle the more accurate and reliable the results will be. With reliable results we can then move forward with confidence to employ those results and complete the evolutionary cycle.
It is because we need the most reliable results that it is crucial to become adept at accurate formulation of the research project. This presentation discusses these sequential elements of the research cycle and how to attain the most adept formulation at each stage:
• Problem identification
• Approach, assumptions, aims
• Theory construction
• Project strategy
• Research design including interdisciplinary considerations
• Methodology including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method considerations
• Statistics
• Analysis of results and meta-analysis
Keywords: research design, research methods, theory formulation, methodology, analysis
Teaching Documents by Peggy Kay
Books by Peggy Kay
Psychology traditionally has had great breadth and depth of therapeutic understandings of many dimensions of the person, including the personality, the mind, and most recently, the emotions, but it has lacked both acknowledgement and understanding of the spiritual dimension of the person. The first step toward understanding how to approach spiritual process therapeutically is to understand spiritual process itself. This dissertation seeks to understand this process of spiritual transformation in the individual person, and to formulate a psychological theory to facilitate this process. The ultimate purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches to the spiritual well being of the person.
Methodology:
The primary methodology to achieve the purpose of this dissertation is comparative study, which selects the phenomenology of spiritual transformation as described by Carl Gustav Jung in his theory of individuation and St. John of the Cross in his spiritual dark night to be the point of comparison. The texts are critically analyzed, compared, and integrated, to yield a psychological theory of spiritual transformation. Operational definitions are formulated for: “spirituality”, “spiritual”, “transformation”, “spiritual transformation”, “psychological theory”, and “psychological model”.
Survey:
Part One describes the two thinkers. Chapter One describes Jung and his theory of individuation. Chapter Two describes St. John and the nature and experience of theological and spiritual process in his Dark Night.
Part Two compares the two thinkers. In Chapter Three Jungian individuation is viewed as life cycle depth psychological framework in which spiritual transformation occurs. In Chapter Four St. John’s dark night is seen as the episodic and evolutionary place in the life cycle where spiritual transformation occurs.
Part Three integrates the two thinkers. Chapter Five proposes an integrated psychological theory of Jungian psychological individuation as framework for St. John's spiritual theological processes. The Afterword includes implications, conclusions, and speculations, as well as possibilities for future work that can yield findings significant to development of the fields of psychology, theology, and religion, for the individual person, and for collective humanity.
Chapter One discusses the placement of the soul at the core of individual existence.
Chapter Two is historical review of how the soul has been regarded through the first three “forces” of psychology: psychoanalysis, behaviorist / cognitive, and existential / humanistic.
Chapter Three focuses on the fourth force, transpersonal psychology.
Chapter Four diagrams my theory of the structure and process of consciousness, and the soul and its relationality with God.
Chapter Five concludes with implications for transpersonal psychotherapy centered in the soul.
Key Words: consciousness, depth psychology, self-report, soul, spirituality, transpersonal psychology
Research as a process can be considered to be a cycle. The loop of the cycle is closed by the use of its results to evolve the original theory, to generate further research, or to inform praxis. The function of the research cycle is evolution of knowledge and practical application. The effectiveness of the research cycle is dependent on the adept formulation of the research project. The more accurate the formulation of the cycle the more accurate and reliable the results will be. With reliable results we can then move forward with confidence to employ those results and complete the evolutionary cycle.
It is because we need the most reliable results that it is crucial to become adept at accurate formulation of the research project. This presentation discusses these sequential elements of the research cycle and how to attain the most adept formulation at each stage:
• Problem identification
• Approach, assumptions, aims
• Theory construction
• Project strategy
• Research design including interdisciplinary considerations
• Methodology including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method considerations
• Statistics
• Analysis of results and meta-analysis
Keywords: research design, research methods, theory formulation, methodology, analysis
Psychology traditionally has had great breadth and depth of therapeutic understandings of many dimensions of the person, including the personality, the mind, and most recently, the emotions, but it has lacked both acknowledgement and understanding of the spiritual dimension of the person. The first step toward understanding how to approach spiritual process therapeutically is to understand spiritual process itself. This dissertation seeks to understand this process of spiritual transformation in the individual person, and to formulate a psychological theory to facilitate this process. The ultimate purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches to the spiritual well being of the person.
Methodology:
The primary methodology to achieve the purpose of this dissertation is comparative study, which selects the phenomenology of spiritual transformation as described by Carl Gustav Jung in his theory of individuation and St. John of the Cross in his spiritual dark night to be the point of comparison. The texts are critically analyzed, compared, and integrated, to yield a psychological theory of spiritual transformation. Operational definitions are formulated for: “spirituality”, “spiritual”, “transformation”, “spiritual transformation”, “psychological theory”, and “psychological model”.
Survey:
Part One describes the two thinkers. Chapter One describes Jung and his theory of individuation. Chapter Two describes St. John and the nature and experience of theological and spiritual process in his Dark Night.
Part Two compares the two thinkers. In Chapter Three Jungian individuation is viewed as life cycle depth psychological framework in which spiritual transformation occurs. In Chapter Four St. John’s dark night is seen as the episodic and evolutionary place in the life cycle where spiritual transformation occurs.
Part Three integrates the two thinkers. Chapter Five proposes an integrated psychological theory of Jungian psychological individuation as framework for St. John's spiritual theological processes. The Afterword includes implications, conclusions, and speculations, as well as possibilities for future work that can yield findings significant to development of the fields of psychology, theology, and religion, for the individual person, and for collective humanity.
Chapter One discusses the placement of the soul at the core of individual existence.
Chapter Two is historical review of how the soul has been regarded through the first three “forces” of psychology: psychoanalysis, behaviorist / cognitive, and existential / humanistic.
Chapter Three focuses on the fourth force, transpersonal psychology.
Chapter Four diagrams my theory of the structure and process of consciousness, and the soul and its relationality with God.
Chapter Five concludes with implications for transpersonal psychotherapy centered in the soul.